"He wasn't the only one who didn't perform well. That was the entire team." Frank Leboeuf said it plainly, and he's not wrong — but Portugal's 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their World Cup opener has predictably funnelled into one conversation: what's wrong with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Leboeuf, who won the 1998 World Cup with France and earned 50 caps for Les Bleus, pushed back on that framing during an appearance on ESPN. He's been critical of Ronaldo in the past — specifically around what he sees as a selfish dynamic when a team gets built around a single star — but he wasn't prepared to let Portugal's broader failings get laundered into a Ronaldo problem.
"If you don't provide... he won't score," Leboeuf said. Simple as that.
724 passes, one goal, no real service
Portugal made 724 passes in that match. With Bruno Fernandes, Joao Neves, and Vitinha in midfield, the expectation was a fluid, chance-creating side that would funnel opportunities toward their striker. Instead, the ball moved sideways and the wingbacks were absent as outlets. Ronaldo didn't get the runs found for him, didn't get the box deliveries, and ultimately didn't score.
Leboeuf pointed to how other nations handle this exact problem. Argentina builds the system around Messi's movement. France gets Mbappe into his runs. Norway pounds crosses into the box for Haaland. England manufactures Kane's shooting opportunities. All four of those players scored in their World Cup openers. The infrastructure was there. For Ronaldo, it wasn't.
That doesn't absolve him entirely. A player of his standing is still expected to create something when the team goes flat — that's the bargain when you're the focal point. But Portugal's issues run through the full eleven, and pointing the finger solely at the 39-year-old at the top of the pitch tells a convenient story rather than an accurate one.
What this means for Portugal's odds
A team that came in as genuine deep-run contenders suddenly looks disjointed, and that matters beyond one result. If Portugal's midfield-to-striker connection stays broken, their progression odds are shakier than the pre-tournament prices suggested. The group stage doesn't allow for many more stumbles.
More games are coming. Whether the service improves will almost certainly determine how far Portugal actually go — and whether this draw ends up being a blip or an early sign of something more structural.
